World Thalassemia Day Blood Drive & Fundraiser

About the Blood Drive:

The event will help support eight-year-old Ella Martinez and two-year-old Kamila Saradpon who have Thalassemia, also known as Cooley’s Anemia– a chronic illness that causes life threatening anemia. They receive blood transfusions every 2 to 3 weeks and will continue to depend on them for the rest of their lives. By donating blood or contributing funds, you can help ensure that patients like Ella and Kamila can continue to live and grow as healthy as they can be.

When scheduling an appointment online, please log on to www.sandiegobloodbank.org, click on “Donate Blood” select “Appointments” and provide sponsor code: THAL. Please eat a good meal and drink plenty of fluids before donating blood. All donors must show picture identification.

About the Toy Drive:

Please bring a new, non-violent, unwrapped toy to the event for patients in the Viterbi Family Outpatient Clinic in the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children’s Hospital– San Diego. No stuffed animals please! Ella and Kamila receive their blood transfu- sions at the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children’s, and know what a difference a toy makes. These toys will be given to patients from the prize box in the Viterbi Family Outpatient Center, making their visit a more positive and memorable one – helping them feel like kids again.